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Legislators briefed on Colorado health-care reform

David Montero, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 12, 2007 at midnight

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Several state lawmakers got progress reports today on five plans seeking to reform the way people get health care in Colorado — including a controversial proposal that would put health care in the hands of the government.

Four of the plans are pretty firm in their final machination while a fifth proposal is still being crafted before it gets sent to a group to model its impacts on Colorado.

The Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform has been toiling for months on trying to create a fifth proposal, which incorporates elements from the other four plans and includes new ideas as well.

It would require every legal resident to have health insurance and would create a tax penalty for those who skirted the law. It also would not require employers to provide health insurance for its employees — instead allowing them the option to provide some sort of benefit package for them.

Today's meeting was designed to give lawmakers a status report on where the plans were. The four proposals are pretty much set in stone and first draft of the fifth proposal must be ready by Sept. 24.

The commission is charged with having the final plans available for the legislature to consider by the end of January.